Reversible car-seat.



No. 806,652. PATENTED DBO. 5, 1905.

F. K. PASSETT. REVERSIBLE GAR SEAT."

APPLIOATIGN F1LED NOT. 5,1904. I

3 SHEETS-SHEET |NVENTD H.- Fvancs Kassyetb No.806,652 PATENTED 1350.5',1905. f

' I F.K.FAssBTT'.

REVERSIBLE GAR sil-:Mzv

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIL-5.9.

- CQ m. Francis asse'bb A Ps1-Tvs.

7 improved car-seat.

on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 with the seat back',

unrrnnsrxrns PATENT Specification of `Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application filed November 1904. Serial No. 231,586.

To' all whom it may concern.' I

Be it known that I, FRANCIS K. FAssET'r, a citizen of the United States,residing at St.

`Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inReversible Gar- Seats, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, such as will enable'others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my Fig. 2 is a sectional Viewand bottom removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevational View with the seat-backin a central position. Fig., 4 is a vertical sectional view on the .line4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the upper portion of theseatback-carrying level` and its connections.` Fig. 6. is a sectional.view through said lever. Fig. 7 is a detail View of the lock for theseatback. Fig. 8 is a modified form of rock-arm. Fig. 9 is anothermodified form of said rockarm.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in reversiblecar-seats, theobject being to simplifyl the construction of seats ofthis character and also to reduce the'cost of manufatureof said'seats. y

With these objectsv in view the ,invention consists in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device, all aswill be more specifically described hereinafter ahdafterward pointed out'in the claims.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the side frames in the form of castings,which support posts 2, carrying the arm 3 next the aisle. The'post 2 andthe arm 3 may be omitted from the seat next .the window; but there ispreferably one of the castings 1 at each end ofthe seat. In thefollowing'description'I will refer tol the mechanism located at one endof the seat; but it is to be understood that this mechanism isduplicated at the oppositeA end of lthe seat.y

Mounted upon the supporting-legs of said-casting, is what/I will termthe main lever 4, said main lever being pivotally connected at its upperend by means of the pivot-bolt 5to the bracket 6, secured to the lower'portion of the seatback 7. The pivotal connection between the mainlever 4 and the seat-back,l as shown in lthe casting 1, preferably 0nthecross-piece forming aconnectlon between the drawings, is preferablyslightly below the center of the seat-back. The main leverl 4 inaddition' to supporting the seat-back also carries foot-rests A8, .saidfoot-rests being mounted upon the ends of arms 9, extending fromopposite sides of the main lever 4 near its lower end. There are severalWays of constructing the upper end of this main lever4in' order to adaptit for its associate parts, and I have shownthree of such constructionsin the drawings; but it is obvious that changes other than thoseillustrated in the drawings could be made without departing from thenature and principle-.of my invention. In the preferred constructionillustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive,the upper end of the main lever 4is recessed on its inner face, saidA recess being `covered by a tongue10, riveted to the upper end of the lever and extending down vover saidrecess to form an inclosed space; The tonguelO'may for all intents andpurposes be considered as a part of the main l lever 4, and insomeinstances the main lever 4 may be cast with a core, so that said tonguen10 will be an integralpart thereof. The

lower end of the tongue 10 carries a pivot-pin l1, on which is pivotallymounted a lever 12, said lever being formed with an opening ofslightly-larger diameter than the pivot-pin 11, so as to allowfree`movement of the lever without cramping or binding.- One end of lever,12 is provided with a projection 13 in the form of a pin or rolleroperating in a slot 14, formed in the lower end of the bracket-plate 6,which is secured to the seatvback.' The opposite end ofthe lever 12 isprovided with an elongated slot 15, which slot receives a pin or roller16, carriedby a rock-arm 17, mounted .upon a rock-shaft 18, journaled inthe upper cross piece of the end casting 1 and extendingthe length ofthe seat, there being two rock-arms 17 arranged upon the ends of saidvrock-shaft.

l'Ihe upper end of each roch-arm 17 is pro` 'vided with an enlarged head19, having surfaces which are adaptedto engage the mar- 'ginal` iiangesor side walls which form the recess in the upper end of the main lever4. As shown in Fig. 6, this rock-arm 17 is located between the mainlever 4 and the lever 12, and

in this manner ,it is possible for the rock-arm 17 .to pass the pivotalpoint 11 of the lever 12 in reversing the seat.

TOO

The rock-shaft 18 has i for accommodating the sliding frame 22, whichframe 22 is provided with dowels 23, which fit into suitable openings inthe seat-bottom, whereby the seat-bottom is prevented from becomingdisplaced with respect to the frame 22. The end castings 1 are providedwith upward extensions 1, which serve as abutments for the main lever 4.

The operation of the seat above described is as follows: Should it bedesired to reverse the seat from the position shown in Fig. 1, it isonly necessary for the operator to take hold of the seat-back and moveit to its designed position. The pivotal connection between the mainlever 4 and the seat-back 7 is such that the entire weight of theseat-back is carried thereby, and the upper end of the main lever movingin an arc of a relatively large circle it will be observed that theoperator has little or no weight to overcome in reversing the seat. Themain lever carrying the lever 12, connected to the rock-arm 17, willmove said rock-arm, and in the reversing movement the rock-arm will liftthe end of the lever 12, connected thereto, and force the projection 13on said lever 12 to travel down the slot 14. The slot-and-pin connectionbetween the lever 12 and the rock-arm 17 permits the lever 12 to have asmall amount of lost motion with respect to the main lever to preventthe lever 12 from being cramped in its movement. In the central positionof the seat-back all the parts are in vertical alinement, as shown inFig. 3. As this position of dead-centers is passed, the projection 13travels up the slot 14 and reaches the upper end of said slotcoincidently with the engagement of the main lever 4 with the abutment1u on the opposite side of the side frame. During this reversingmovement the upper end of the rock-arm 17 is moved up into the housingof the main lever 4, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 8. Thistelescoping action is taken advantage of to lock the seat in one of itstwo positions by an extremely simple locking device, which I willhereinafter describe. The reversal of the main lever 4 also reverses theposition of the foot-rests and in addition th`e`roclshaft 18 will,through its arms 20, move the slidingV seat-carrying frames in theircurved ways and reverse the inclination of the seat so that the forwardedge of the seat will be higher. The object of fixing the arms 17 and 2Oto the rock-shaft 18 is to insure a parallel movement of the levers atthe opposite ends of the seat. It will be observed that the arms 17 ateach end of the rock-shaft move in unison, and consequently theseat-back will not wabble 0r bind in its walk-over or reversingmovement. Likewise the arms 20 operate the two seat-bottom-supportingframes 22 simultaneously and avoid binding or cramping of the parts.

While I prefer to have the upper ends of the rock-arms 17 telescope intothe housings at the upper ends of the main lever 4, as shown iii thepreferred construction illustrated iii Figs. 1 to 6, it will be`olbfvilol'is that on`e` or both arms 17 maybe cut off above theprojections 16 and in this manner the housing in the main lever 4 willbe unnecessary.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modified form of levers in which in lieu of thehousing for the upper end of the rock-arm I have provided a slot 4a inthe main lever 4 for receiving a projection 17 of the rock-arm 17. Inthis construction the rock-arm 17 operates close tothe inner face of themain lever 4, and the lever 12 is located in a plane between therock-arm 17 and the slotted bracket-plate G. In order to avoidinterference of the pivot 1l with the rock-arm 17 I provide a curvedslot 171 in the upper end of the arm 17, through which slot the pivot 11passes and supports the lever 12 inside the rock-arm 17.

In Fig. 9 I have shown the upper end of the rock-arm 17 provided with acurved slot through which passes the pivot 11; but in lieu of the slot4l the upper end of the rockarm 17 in this construction operates in ahousing, as heretofore described with respect to the construction shownin Figs. 1 to 6.

In order to locl my improved seat-back in its different positions, Itake advantage of the telescoping action of the upper end of therock-arm 17 and mount in the main lever 4 a locking-bolt 24, which boltconsists of a cylindrical body portion having a longitudinallydisposedslot 25 for the insertion of a key 2G. rIhis bolt 24 is provided with acircumferential groove 27, in which are fitted the prongs of thebifurcated end of a leaf-spring 2S, said spring being secured to themain lever 4 and tending to hold the bolt in its inner position. Arecess or slot 29 is also provided to receive cross-pins 30, which holdthe bolt in its adjusted position, The body portion of the bolt to oneside of the slot 29 is removed` so as to leave a locking projection 34.As shown in Fig. 6, this locking projection 34 is in the path of theupper end of the rock-arm 17, and thus it is impossible for saidrock-arm to slide up into its housing, and consequently the scat islocked when the bolt is in this position. To unlock the scat, it is onlynecessary to insert the key 26 until its hooked end engages the innerface of the reduced portion of tho bolt, when the bolt can be pulledoutwardly and rotated when the reduced portion gets beyond thecross-pins 30. The locking portion 34 by this rotary movement'I is nowplaced so as to bear against the outer face of the rockarm 17, andconsequently it is possible to move the seat-back to and fro withoutinterference from this locking device. The slot 2S) is deep enough toreceive the pins 30 when the bolt is in its unlocked position, and inthis way the movement of the rock-arm 17 will not rotate the bolt to alocking position.

I am aware that minor changes in the conlOO TIS

struction., arrangement,'v and combinationy Tof the several parts of ymydevice. can beymade and substituted for those herein shown-and describedWithout in the leastdeparting from the nature and principle of myinvention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, andgdesiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-seat, the combination with an end supporting-frame, vofa'main lever pivotally mounted in said frame, foot-rests carried by saidmain lever, and a lever 17 pivotally mounted on the end frame, saidlever being pivotally connected to theupper end of said main lever and-to the seat-bottom for reversing the inclination of the seat-bottomWhen the seat-back is reversed, said end lframe being provided vvithcurved Ways to support the seat-bottom and accommodate its movement;substantially as described. A

2. In acar-seat, the combination With a seatback, of av main leverpivotally connected thereto, a rock-arm having a pivotal axis differentfrom that of the main lever, said rockarm at its upperend havingasliding engage-V ment With the main lever, and alever 12 pivi otallyconnected to the main lever and to said rock-arm, said lever 12 having aslot-and-pin connection With the seat-back; substantially as described.y

3. In a car-seat, the combination With end castings, of main levers 4pivotally mounted in said castings, a rock-shaft 18 .mounted Vin saidcastings, rock-arms 17 and 20 fixed to said rock-shaft, seat-supportingframes which are engaged by the rock-arms 20, aseat-,back pivotallyconnected to the upper ends of the main v levers 4, and levers-12pivotally mounted on the \levers 4. and having slot-and-pin connectionWith the upper ends of the rock-arms 17 and the lovver end of theseat-back; substantially as described.

4. In a car-seat, the combination with an end casting, of a leverpivotally mounted thereon and pivotally supporting the seat-back at itsupper end, an arm 17 movingabout an axis different from that ot' saidlever, the upper end of said arm 17 slidingly engaging said lever, aslotted plate mounted on the seatback, and a lever 12 pivoted on thefirst-mentioned lever, said lever 12 having-a pivotal connection withthe arm 17 and a sliding connection With said sliding plate;substantially as described. v v Y 5. In a car-seat, the combination withan end casting having abutments 1a, a main lever 4 pivotally supportingthe seat-hack at its up-` per end., said lever 4 being provided with ahousing, an arm 17 Whose upper end-` fits in said housing, and a lever12 pivotallyconnected to the main lever and said arm' 17, said lever 12havinga slot-and-pin connection with the seat-back; substantially asdescribed.

6. In a car-seat, the combination vWith two levers having axes ofmovement about differentjcenters, the free ends 'of said levers beingAlocking device vcarried by one of saidlevers for preventing a slidingmovement betweenV said levers; substantially as described.

w 7. In a car-seat, the combination With a le- .ver for pivotallysupporting theseat-back, of.

Vsaid main lever, kand al locking device carried by the main lever andadapted to engage the rock-arm to prevent movement of said rockarrn Withrespect to said mainlever; substantially asdescribed.

v`in sliding engagement withk each other. and a 9. In a car-seat, thecombination With a' V main lever having a housing at its upper end,

Va rock-arm Whose upper end ts in said housing Yand is adapted totelescope therein, and a locking-.bolt carried by said main lever andhaving a projection designed to extend into the housing in the path ofsaid rock-arm; substantially as described.

10. In a car-seat, the combination with a lever for supporting theseat-back, a rock-arm r having a sliding engagement with said lever, anda locking-bolt mounted in said main lever IOO andhaving a projectioncapable of being placed in the path of said rock-arm, a 'Spring bearingupon said locking-bolt, and a crosspin passing through the main leverfor holding the locking-bolt in its adjusted positions; substantially asdescribed. a

11. In a car-seat, the combination With a Vseat-back, of a main leverpivotally connected thereto, a vrock-arm having a pivotal axis differentfrom that of the main lever, said rockarm at its upper end having asliding engagernent with the main lever, and means for utilizin'gthedifference in the arcs of movement of the rock-arm and said main leverfor controlling the movement of the seat-back; substantially asdescribed.

12. In a car-seat, the combination of a main r lever, a seat-backcarried thereby, a rock-arm having'a stationary pivotal axis differentfrom that of the main lever, anda lever uniting the main lever, theseat-back and the said rockarm, said lever controlling the tiltingmovements ot' theseat-back; substantially as described.

13. In a car-seat, the combination With-an end frame, of a leverpivotally mounted'thereon, a seat-back pivotally Vconnected to theupupperend of said lever., said rock-arm being .per end of said lever, arock-arm having slid-ll Aing engagement at its upper end With the montedon saiol end frame and having a pivotal axis different from that of themain lever whereby the dil-ference in the arcs of movement of said mainlever and the rookarm controls the position of the seat-back, and afoot-rest carried by the main lever; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto allix my signaturen the presence of two\vitnesses,this 2d day of November, 1904.

FRANCIS K. FASSET".

Witnesses:

F. R. CORNWALL, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

